This is “THE” year? Not So Fast My Fine Feathered Friends …

Mike Merrell FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Many Duck football fans have it in their heads that 2014 is a do or die year. After all, the Ducks stand to lose possibly the best player in college football in Marcus Mariota, along with All-Americans center Hroniss Grasu and cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu. But while 2014 appears to be a high-opportunity year, the talent expected to be return for …

Johnstone’s Setback Comes With an Important Lesson

Will Denner FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

When the news broke on Tuesday that left tackle Tyler Johnstone re-tore the ACL in his right knee during practice, Duck fans could do little else besides shake their heads in disbelief. It’s the latest loss to an offense, which had already lost their best receiver – Bralon Addison – to the same injury in April. Losing either a No.1 receiver or starting …

2014 Predictions — Part Three

Kim Hastings FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Good morning, Ducks! Last Saturday I brought you Part One of my Super Accurate 2014 predictions for the upcoming football season. Part Two was available to subscribers only. If you want to subscribe, my PayPal information is available. Subscribers get inside information on my predictions as well as fun, behind the scenes looks at my life. A look inside the …

Duckling Profile: The Awesome That is Wogan

Lawrence Hastings FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Anyone that has built a puzzle knows that absolutely every piece is needed in order for it to work. Without all of the pieces, a puzzle can never fully be complete. In the same way, Oregon football has been impressive the last several years, but there was always something missing — a kicker. And without a quality kicker, the Oregon …

Chip Kelly Update: Shots Fired Across the Bow

Mark Saltveit FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The opening skirmish in Chip Kelly’s 2014 NFL season took place last Friday, and while the results weren’t pretty — especially with the starting offensive line — the team showed a glimpse of its potential. The final score doesn’t really matter — it was a 28-24 loss to the Chicago Bears — but the engine of the offense was clearly …

Oregon Football Recruiting Analysis: How Does Autonomy Change the Recruiting Game?

Jason Fowler FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

A widespread change might be in place for football. The National Collegiate Athletic Association recently voted in favor of giving the five “power conferences” autonomy, to allow the student-athletes to participate in governing the entity they are bound in playing for at a Division I university. If sustained by the end of October, 2014, how will this affect the recruiting …

Evan Voeller: Leader by Example

Laura Brehm FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The subject of this profile is another one of Oregon’s very own, and he is as talented as they come. Evan Voeller hails from West Linn, Oregon, where he played four years under the Lions’ head coach, Mike Fanger. He wasn’t a very vocal leader, but actions often speak louder than words. Fanger informed Aaron Fentress from The Oregonian that …

Ranking the Ducks’ Top Games in 2014

Jack Heffernan FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The tendency in these types of posts is to rank the “Top 5” games in a team’s season. However, for so many reasons, this year calls for even more speculation and dialogue. With fourteen starters returning from an 11-win team, the Ducks will hope to finally capture a national title in the first season of the College Football Playoffs. Adding …

Recruiting Update: Green to go Thunder Green?

Mark Flores FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Football Recruiting News While still a year away, quarterback Seth Green (4-Star/Woodbury, MN/Rivals250) is already Oregon’s prime target heading into the 2016 recruiting cycle. Green’s rapport with the Ducks, most specifically offensive coordinator Scott Frost, ramped-up significantly at the end of July when an offer came down the pipe. “(Oregon) told me I’m the first quarterback they have offered in my …

Lessons for Oregon: How Michigan State Slowed Down Stanford’s Offense

Curtis Peterson Analysis

Michigan State played Stanford in last year’s Rose Bowl, to the dismay of the Duck faithful. However, in doing so, they showed their defensive formula for slowing down the Cardinal’s Heavy 2 runningback offense. I will start by saying that Michigan State did give up 162 yards rushing to Stanford, coming on 36 carries. However, a lot of those plays came …

Student Season Ticket Standoff

Alex Towne FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Refresh … Refresh … Is this thing working? Did I lose my spot in line? Is it time yet? Will I be able to go to ANY football games this year? What if I don’t get tickets?! What has the world come to?! This is a scenario that I, and I’m sure many other Oregon students and fans are familiar with. …

The Party Out West: What Those Press Releases Really Mean

Nathan Roholt FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

As I was wrapping up my final breakdown of prospective power conference schools, this year’s release of one of the signature college selection guides was released. The Princeton Review’s guide to “The Best 379 Colleges” is an annual compilation of lists in a variety of categories to help prospective students make the best choice for their education. Of course, the list …